Heather Kroh, Ph.D.

Heather received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Tennessee Technological University in Cookeville, TN. After working as a biochemistry research assistant, she pursued her Ph.D. at Vanderbilt University within the Cellular and Molecular Pathology program. Her research applied enzymological and biophysical approaches to define the molecular mechanisms of blood coagulation regulation, with specific focus on the dysregulation of these processes by the staphylococcal coagulases. Heather joined the Lacy lab in 2012 as a postdoctoral fellow to continue her studies on bacterial virulence factors from a structural biology viewpoint. She is currently a Research Assistant Professor in the Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology department, where she investigates neutralization of the Clostridium difficile toxins by antibodies and small molecule inhibitors. In addition, Heather has a long-standing dedication to scientific education and participates in multiple mentoring and outreach programs. In her free time, she likes to go hiking in the middle of nowhere and pick up all the pretty rocks.